Inside The Cardinals

Retired Cardinals Fan Favorite Rips Apart Organization's Tactics In Recent Interview

St. Louis isn't what it used to be
Nate Hagerty|
August 2, 2005; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols (5) and Jim Edmonds (15) chat with ESPN anchorman Dan Patrick before the game against the Florida Marlins at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-Imagn Images
August 2, 2005; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols (5) and Jim Edmonds (15) chat with ESPN anchorman Dan Patrick before the game against the Florida Marlins at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-Imagn Images | Scott Rovak-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals trail only the New York Yankees for most World Series titles but they've lost their winning ways and must find a way to return to being a perennial contender.

Over the past decade, the Cardinals have focused on bolstering the big-league roster while neglecting to pour resources into their player development system. Consequently, their roster is filled with underdeveloped homegrown talent.

St. Louis isn't the franchise it once was and a former beloved Cardinals outfielder recently voiced his opinion on how far the 11-time World Series champions have fallen since he played for the organization.

"Spring training -- I haven't really gone down to spring training the last couple years," eight-time Gold Glove defender Jim Edmonds stated during an interview Monday on 101 ESPN St. Louis. "It's just not fun anymore. The baseball is, you know, they don't make you feel like you're wanted -- being around the stadium. You know, I love all the DeWitt's. I have so much respect for Mo (John Mozeliak). Everybody's great."

Edmonds was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014 after batting .285 with 486 extra-base hits including 241 home runs, 713 RBIs and a .947 OPS throughout his eight-year stint with St. Louis.

"But somehow, indoors, in the inner circle, it's just not the same organization," Edmonds went on to say. "It's not fun to be around but they make it pretty obvious; even the security guards are like, 'Hey, you know it might not be a good time.' I'm like, fine with me. I don't need to be in there. If you don't want me to tell your pitchers that they're tipping their pitches or this guy's pulling off, then I don't really give two s**** about it, so I'm going to take my talents out here to Tennessee and learn how to be a gardener and a farmer."

Fortunately, change is coming to the organization. Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak will pass his responsibilities to Chaim Bloom next offseason, which could be a major turning point for the franchise.

Bloom specializes in player development, so it'll be exciting to see where he takes the Cardinals. Hopefully, Edmonds' version of what it should be like to play for St. Louis will someday become a reality for the club's youth-laden roster.

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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